This invention relates to the detection of a shock event associated with a hard drive of a computing device.
Traditional computing devices include non-volatile data storage media. One type of non-volatile media is a hard drive that provides relatively high capacity and long term storage of data. The data may include media files (e.g., songs, video, and pictures), software programs, electronic information, and electronic data or files. Existing hard drives include a one or more data disks where data is magnetically stored. Typically, an armature is moved adjacent to the surface of a disk to read or write data from or to the disk respectively while the disk rotates at a particular speed.
Hard drives can be susceptible to mechanical failure or damage due to a physical shock or vibration. Thus, certain hard drives utilize sensors that detect the physical orientation, surrounding environment, or movement of the hard drive and, thereby, detect the occurrence a shock event. One such sensor is an acceleration sensor. One problem with existing shock sensing mechanisms is that additional components, such as an acceleration sensor, are required to enable shock detection based on surrounding environmental conditions. The additional components can add cost, use limited circuit board space, and increase hard drive circuitry size. Accordingly, there is a need to detect hard drive shock events in a more efficient, less obtrusive, and less costly manner.